m4 Award 23 for Prof. Ulrike Protzer & team TherVacB for therapeutic vaccination against hepatitis B

Almost 300 million people are carriers of the hepatitis B virus, and every year 820,000 people die as a result of the infection, according to the WHO. So far, there is no cure for this enormous global health problem. TherVacB from Helmholtz Munich uses a therapeutic vaccination approach to stimulate the antiviral immune response and cure chronic viral infection. The efficacy of the optimized TherVacB approach has been demonstrated in preclinical models of chronic infection; first clinical trials are expected to start soon. The m4 Award supports essential development of a vaccine formulation, as well as preparation of a spin-off company to drive further clinical development. Each of the five winning teams in the m4 Award 2023 pre-founding competition will receive €500,000 for their project to solve pressing medical challenges. The award was presented by coordinator BioM together with the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy at the Munich Residence on October 24, 2023.